Harness-saddle



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

' J. STEPHENS.

HARNESS SADDLE.

No. 567,203; Patented Sept. 8, 1896.

INVENTUR WITNESSES:

BY MM ATTY'S.

1 Nonms warms 0o. PNOTO-LITHQ. WASHINGYON. n c.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

J. STEPHENS. HARNESS SADDLE.

Patented Sept. 8, 1896.

INVENTORQ WITNESSES: 3 Mi "W By Jr- ATTY'S.

m: NORRIS PETERS 00.. Puoro-uma. WAimNGTQN. 0. c4

NITED STATES i PATENT 'OFFICE' JAMES STEPHENS, OF NEWARK, NElV JERSEY.

HARNESS-SADDLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 567,203, dated September 8, 1896.

Application filed November 11, 1896. Serial No. 568,556. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, JAMES STEPHENS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New J ersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Harness Saddles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.-

The object of this invention is to provide a saddle for horses which will be more perfectly adjustable to the backs of horses of various sizes and shapes, because of the adjustability being more conducive to the ease and comfort of the horse, and to prevent the back from being made sore by friction and undue pressure upon any one part.

Further objects are to give a full opportunity for healing of sores upon the backs of 7 horses which have been made so by saddles as heretofore constructed, and also to conceal the sores while being healed, so that they will not be unpleasant to the View, and to secure other advantages and results, some of which will be referred to in the description of the working parts. The invention consists in the improved horse-saddle and in the arrangements and combinations of parts, all substantially as will be hereinafter set forth, and finally embraced in the clauses of the claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like letters of reference indicate corresponding partsin each of the several views, Figure 1 is aplan of the saddle. Figs. 2 and 3 are detail plans of certain top-leathers of the same, and Fig. 4 is a side elevation of said saddle. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section taken on line 00, Fig. 1; and Fig. 6 is a transverse section taken on line at. These figures are deemed sufficient to fully illustrate the nature of my improvements. In said drawings, a indicates a top-leather made, perferably, of two or more thicknesses of harness-leather stitched together, the said top leather being centrally open, as shown in Fig. 1, whereby the saddle will be prevented from bearing down on sores made by the narrow saddles commonly heretofore in use.

At the central portion of the top-leather, at its forward side, the same is made A-shaped in general outline, so as to bring the forward edge of the saddle back and away from the withers of the horse. Here the said top-leather is provided with a short gullet-plate b, A- shaped in front elevation, the arms of which, in plan, extend downwardly and forwardly and hold the top-leather at the forward center part in proper position, the top-leather and said gullet-plate being united by padscrews or rivets in any suitable manner. At the rear of the central portion of the saddle the top-leather is provided with a rear plate 6, which is also A-shaped in rear elevation and serves to raise the central portion of the pad away from the backbone. This rear plate is provided with the usual crupper-loop c and checkrein-hook d, the latter being separable from said back plate in any suitable manner common in harness-making. The said gullet-plate b and rear plate e extend buta limited distance toward the sides of the saddle, the greater portion of the back-leather being free from any stiffening-plates whatever. The said back-leather and the pad underlying the same are allowed great flexibility and enable the saddle to be applied to y the backs of horses of very different shapes. At the lower ends of the top-leather the same are provided with the ordinary flaps f and back-straps g, back-band loops It being employed in any suit-able manner to receive straps g. Straps or plates 2 (shown in outline in Fig. 1) lie within the pad at the under side of the top-leather, extending from pad-v screws j to the tenets 70, where they overlap one another and are perforated, the perforations coinciding to receive the shanks of the terrets, which extend through said plates and are held in place by suitable nuts Z. The under side of the said top-leather is provided with very thick padded cushions or pads, formed in any suitable manner around the central opening m.

At the center of the saddle, connecting forward and rearward parts of the padded topleather, the same is provided with a crossbar a, which is preferably of metal covered with leather. This extends in a direction parallel with the horses backbone, but is.

raised therefrom, so as not to admit of any contact and consequent injury. This serves to keep the rear and forward parts of the centrally open top-leather in relative posi tion, preventing any spreading of the opening or reduction in the width of the sa1ne. Said cross-bar also provides hearings or a support for a strap 0, which extends from one side of the saddle, from a point adjacent to one terret, longitudinally through said opening across the backbone of the horse to a point adjacent to the other terret. The said strap is in sections and is provided with ordinary buckles and on it are arranged adjustable disks or plates q, of leather, whichlie in the opening on and are adapted to be raised or lowered to or from the cross-bar, so as to overlie and conceal any sores that may.

supplyto the sores medicaments wherebythe forth.

healing of the sores may be facilitated.

In Figs. 2 and 3 are shown blanks or sections a a, which together form the topleather a. The forward section a comprises an irregular piece, the opposite ends of which are turned rearward to form the intermediate recess m, corresponding with the forward part of the opening m. The extreme rearward edges a a at opposite sides of the recess m are formed oblique or at angles to the corresponding edges ct 0 of the rear section a, and so where said:

oblique edges are brought parallel with and are joined to said edges a a the central portion of said section a will be raised normally into correspondence with the gullet plate I) and be directed backward and away from the withers, and thus the pads alone will bear on the back, to the increased comfort of the animal. The center part of the forward edge of the section a is also recessed, as at a, so as to further prevent pressure upon the horse at that point. The section a" has forwardly-turned ends corresponding with the ends of the sections a and with an intermediate recess m, coinciding with the recess m. joined at the sides of the saddle the topleather receives the flaps f, the latter covering the joints, and also the fastened ends of the strap 0. The central inward extensions m of the sections are formed to receive the connecting-bar n.

Having thus described the construction of Where these sections a o. arethe saddle and sufficiently, it is thought, presented the functions and purposes of the same, what I claim as new is- 1. The improved saddle for horses, herein described, in which is combined with a centrally open top-leather, the forward central part of which is rearwardly recessed as at a,a pad on the under side of said top-leather extending around the central opening, and an angular gullet-plate b, and an angular rear plate 6, at opposite sides of said central opening, substantially as set forth.

2. In asaddle for horses, the combination with a sectional top-leather having turned ends joined together, the extreme edges of one section being formed in the blank obliquely to and being, when joined in the saddle, parallel with the corresponding edges of the other section, and thecenter part of the first section being elevated thereby or made full at its forward edges, of pads formed on the under side of said sectional top-leather at opposite sides of said central opening, substantially as set forth.

3. In the saddle for horses, the combination with the padded sectional top-leather having a central opening between the forward and rearward parts thereof, of a strap extending lengthwise of said opening, and provided with protecting-plates for concealing sores at said opening, substantially as set 4. In a saddle for horses, the combination with the padded and centrally-open topleather, having the short A-shaped plates b, c, at opposite sides of the opening, at the angular center of said saddle, of a connecting-bar extending across said opening, and holding the opposite parts from spreading or approaching one another, and a plate q,arranged in said opening for concealing and protecting sores on the horses back, substantially as set forth.

5. In a saddle for horses, the combination with the sectional top-leather,the forward section of which at its forward center has an upward A-shaped bend, and a forward recess a, the said top-leather being centrally open as at m, and padded on the under side of a short A-shaped gullet-plate, at the forward side of the opening m, the arms of which extend forward at opposite sides of said recess a', and a rear plate 6, having the crupper loop and checkrein-hook, substantially as set forth.

6. In a saddle for horses, the combination with the padded top-leather, the forward part of which, at its center has a recess a', and the center of which is open as at m, of short plates 1) and e, on opposite sides of the opening at the top of said leather, the saddle being flexible at opposite ends of said plates, a connecting-bar a, sectional strap 0, buckle p, and protecting or covering plates q, all arpanged and combined, substantially as set orth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 24th day of 10 October, 1895.

JAMES STEPHENS.

Witnesses: OLIVER DRAKE, CHARLES H. PELL. 

